Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

A Dress For My Daddy’s Birthday

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Eva has been talking about her "daddy's birthday" since October.  SInce his birthday is January 24, we have been hearing all about what she will wear, what foods will be served, what present she will give him and who else will be at the party.

I had been working with a collection of fabric called "Fancy" by Lily Ashbury to make my Orange Peel blocks, and Eva was just entranced by the bright, cheery, fun colors in the fabrics.  Her favorite was a salmony pink with red flowers on it. She carried around a scrap of it for days saying "My Nana will make me a dress to wear to my daddy's birthday".  So of course I had to do it.  

I ordered a yard and a half of her favorite print and picked out a pattern that I thought would go together quickly and be cute.

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This was not a good pattern.  You know what they had you do?  The yoke is faced, but instead of stitching it right sides together and turning it, they had you putting the yoke and the lining wrong sides together, pressing in the underarm seams 5/8 inch under and slip stitching the edges together by hand.  What?  Sew completely around the armholes by hand?  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  

I managed to press the seam allowance under and top stitch it together, but it was such a dumb way to construct a yoke.  I won't be making this one again.

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This is the next pattern I think I'll have a go at.  I read the construction instructions and it seems straight forward enough.  How cute are those kids on the pattern?  You can totally tell they aren't models, just regular kids.  

Anybody have any pattern recommendations for a little girl's dress? 

36 responses to “A Dress For My Daddy’s Birthday”

  4. Of course, you had to do it. A good nana does whatever her grands want, right? ha!
    Handstitch the armholes?? That’s just plain crazy. What you’ve chosen for your next dress looks so sweet. I used to make all of DD’s dresses, but the last time I tried garment sewing (and I specifically chose something that should have been quick, easy, straightforward), I found it just too “fiddly”. I’d love to make dresses for my youngest granddaughter who loves dresses, but I have decided that I’ll just go buy her a dress when that urge hits. ha!

  5. Of course, you had to do it. A good nana does whatever her grands want, right? ha!
    Handstitch the armholes?? That’s just plain crazy. What you’ve chosen for your next dress looks so sweet. I used to make all of DD’s dresses, but the last time I tried garment sewing (and I specifically chose something that should have been quick, easy, straightforward), I found it just too “fiddly”. I’d love to make dresses for my youngest granddaughter who loves dresses, but I have decided that I’ll just go buy her a dress when that urge hits. ha!

  6. Of course, you had to do it. A good nana does whatever her grands want, right? ha!
    Handstitch the armholes?? That’s just plain crazy. What you’ve chosen for your next dress looks so sweet. I used to make all of DD’s dresses, but the last time I tried garment sewing (and I specifically chose something that should have been quick, easy, straightforward), I found it just too “fiddly”. I’d love to make dresses for my youngest granddaughter who loves dresses, but I have decided that I’ll just go buy her a dress when that urge hits. ha!

  7. What an adorable dress and just the perfect thing for Miss E to wear to her daddy’s birthday party. Cute story, too!
    Methinks you’ve well and truly made Eva into a fabric lover and we know what a life-long joy that will be.
    Head shaking here at the inane instructions in the Butterick pattern. Who writes those kinds on directions? My mother sewed a lot but always avoided Butterick patterns. Perhaps this problem goes back a long time?
    Hugs!

  8. What an adorable dress and just the perfect thing for Miss E to wear to her daddy’s birthday party. Cute story, too!
    Methinks you’ve well and truly made Eva into a fabric lover and we know what a life-long joy that will be.
    Head shaking here at the inane instructions in the Butterick pattern. Who writes those kinds on directions? My mother sewed a lot but always avoided Butterick patterns. Perhaps this problem goes back a long time?
    Hugs!

  9. What an adorable dress and just the perfect thing for Miss E to wear to her daddy’s birthday party. Cute story, too!
    Methinks you’ve well and truly made Eva into a fabric lover and we know what a life-long joy that will be.
    Head shaking here at the inane instructions in the Butterick pattern. Who writes those kinds on directions? My mother sewed a lot but always avoided Butterick patterns. Perhaps this problem goes back a long time?
    Hugs!

  10. I learned to sew in Home Ec when I was in ‘Jr. High.’ (Didn’t many of us??) Patterns now are not nearly as well written as I remember (that WAS a loooong time ago) so I wasn’t surprised to read your yoke construction problem. I made many garments in the Olden Days but the baby bib & apron directions for what I’ve sewn recently were really difficult to figure out! My local quilt shop has a darling little girl’s dress & pattern featured but I’m hesitant to try it!

  11. I learned to sew in Home Ec when I was in ‘Jr. High.’ (Didn’t many of us??) Patterns now are not nearly as well written as I remember (that WAS a loooong time ago) so I wasn’t surprised to read your yoke construction problem. I made many garments in the Olden Days but the baby bib & apron directions for what I’ve sewn recently were really difficult to figure out! My local quilt shop has a darling little girl’s dress & pattern featured but I’m hesitant to try it!

  12. I learned to sew in Home Ec when I was in ‘Jr. High.’ (Didn’t many of us??) Patterns now are not nearly as well written as I remember (that WAS a loooong time ago) so I wasn’t surprised to read your yoke construction problem. I made many garments in the Olden Days but the baby bib & apron directions for what I’ve sewn recently were really difficult to figure out! My local quilt shop has a darling little girl’s dress & pattern featured but I’m hesitant to try it!

  13. Such a cute dress, I’m sure Eva is excited! It’s so adorable that she just ‘knew’ you would make her a dress.
    I haven’t done any garment sewing in years. When I did sew for my daughter it was Daisy Kingdom Easter and Christmas dresses. I’m not even sure if Daisy Kingdom is still around.

  14. Such a cute dress, I’m sure Eva is excited! It’s so adorable that she just ‘knew’ you would make her a dress.
    I haven’t done any garment sewing in years. When I did sew for my daughter it was Daisy Kingdom Easter and Christmas dresses. I’m not even sure if Daisy Kingdom is still around.

  15. Such a cute dress, I’m sure Eva is excited! It’s so adorable that she just ‘knew’ you would make her a dress.
    I haven’t done any garment sewing in years. When I did sew for my daughter it was Daisy Kingdom Easter and Christmas dresses. I’m not even sure if Daisy Kingdom is still around.

  16. I used to sew clothes all the time and I found the Butterick patterns to be the absolute worst! They would always have weird construction and my personal gripe, they would put a seam down the front of garments for no good reason when cutting on the fold would have been perfectly simple. As I was reading your post I was thinking that the pattern must have been Butterick and when I scrolled back up, it sure was! It’s fun to sew clothes once in a while! The dress is very cute.

  17. I used to sew clothes all the time and I found the Butterick patterns to be the absolute worst! They would always have weird construction and my personal gripe, they would put a seam down the front of garments for no good reason when cutting on the fold would have been perfectly simple. As I was reading your post I was thinking that the pattern must have been Butterick and when I scrolled back up, it sure was! It’s fun to sew clothes once in a while! The dress is very cute.

  18. I used to sew clothes all the time and I found the Butterick patterns to be the absolute worst! They would always have weird construction and my personal gripe, they would put a seam down the front of garments for no good reason when cutting on the fold would have been perfectly simple. As I was reading your post I was thinking that the pattern must have been Butterick and when I scrolled back up, it sure was! It’s fun to sew clothes once in a while! The dress is very cute.

  25. The dress turned out so cute! I must agree with others here that patterns are no longer user friendly. I don’t know how newbies to garment sewing can figure it out. I am glad I have years of garment construction experience, and I usually follow my own knowledge base instead of pattern instructions.

  26. The dress turned out so cute! I must agree with others here that patterns are no longer user friendly. I don’t know how newbies to garment sewing can figure it out. I am glad I have years of garment construction experience, and I usually follow my own knowledge base instead of pattern instructions.

  27. The dress turned out so cute! I must agree with others here that patterns are no longer user friendly. I don’t know how newbies to garment sewing can figure it out. I am glad I have years of garment construction experience, and I usually follow my own knowledge base instead of pattern instructions.

  34. Oh so sweet! I love she picked her own fabric. Did she enjoy being the princess at her Daddy’s party? I like it all— dress and story!

  35. Oh so sweet! I love she picked her own fabric. Did she enjoy being the princess at her Daddy’s party? I like it all— dress and story!

  36. Oh so sweet! I love she picked her own fabric. Did she enjoy being the princess at her Daddy’s party? I like it all— dress and story!